Louis Armstrong

Ryan Au Duong
Angulo
ELA Honors
24, April 2012
Life of the King of Jazz“My whole musical success goes back to the time I was arrested…”(Old 28). Louis Armstrong started off as a normal kid who lived in a poor family and environment, but ended up as one of the most influential entertainers in history all because of one mistake he made as a child, which changed his life. Louis Armstrong’s life was filled with events that built his musical skills, fame, and his well-being even though he did not start off very well. The environment he lived in as a child was not well suited and he had family problems. He was arrested as a child and was sent to the Home for Colored Waifs which made an enormous impact on his life (“Louis Armstrong”). His fame and musical skills began to grow when he joined the Creole Jazz Band in his adulthood. He made recordings of his songs, which some of them became big hits, to expand his fame even more.

Louis Armstrong’s childhood was difficult, but made him what he was later in life. Louis was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana (“Louis Armstrong”). New Orleans was a poor city (Old 17). His father was Louis Daniel Armstrong and his mother was Mayann Armstrong. Louis also had a brother, William Armstrong, and a sister, Beatrice Armstrong (“Armstrong, Louis”). His father abandoned the family when Louis was just an infant (“Louis Armstrong”). His mother had to turn to prostitution often to make money so she can support the family (“Louis Armstrong Biography”). The environment Louis had lived in had hookers, gangs, children playing on the streets, and musicians. He was surrounded by music when he was young (Old 16). He began to work for the Karnofsky family when he was seven years old (“Armstrong, Louis”). He also attended the Fisk School for Boys as a child. At the age of eleven on New Year’s Eve, Louis fired a gun which got him arrested (“Louis Armstrong Biography”). Who would have guessed that his arrest was the start of...